Ace of Hearts
by AceOfHoenn
Summary: After a newly regenerated Doctor returns, Ace has trouble dealing with this change. Can she handle it and will she stay with her 'Professor' AU, set right after the TV movie. Very slight Doctor/Ace (Eight/Ace).


_Hello folks, I'm here again, this time with a Doctor Who story. This is an AU story where the Virgin New Adventures never happened and Ace continued traveling with the Doctor (I haven't read any of the NA's but from what I've heard I like the sound of Benny but not of NA Ace). He left her on a tropical resort planet to bring the Master's ashes back to Gallifrey but he ended up in San Francisco, got shot, regenerated into the Eighth Doctor and the events of the 1996 TV movie unfolded. Well anyway hope you enjoy this fic!_

_Summary: After a newly regenerated Doctor returns, Ace has trouble dealing with this change. Can she handle it and will she stay with her 'Professor?' AU, set right after the TV movie._

_Doctors: Eighth, mentions of the Seventh._

_Companions: Dorothy Gale 'Ace' McShane, mentions of Grace Holloway._

_Warnings: Very slight Eight/Ace. Almost blink and you'll miss it, but not quite._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, the BBC does. I'm just playing in their sandpit._

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**Ace of Hearts**

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Ace grinned as she heard the familiar whooshing noise of the TARDIS materializing. The Doctor had left her on this tropical resort planet about three days ago saying he had some business to tend to with the Master's ashes and she was bored and eagerly awaiting his return. As the door slowly opened, she grinned and said "Ace!" as she ran over to the strange blue box.

However, much to her surprise her lovingly dubbed 'Professor' did not step out. No, there was no little Scottish sounding bloke with a panama hat and an umbrella with a question mark handle, who used to wear a question mark coated jumper under his safari coat, but had since swapped it for a much more muted one. No, Ace's professor who switched between playing to spoons to playing a game of manipulative chess with his friends and foes as playing pieces was nowhere in sight.

Instead there was a tall, handsome looking fellow, who appeared to be close to her age, with curly auburn hair, who wore an Edwardian looking outfit consisting of a white dress shirt (no question marks), a silky cravat, a silky six-buttoned waistcoat, light-grey pants, black rubberized ankle-high shoes and a bottle-green velvet frock coat., something that no one would be seen dead wearing in her era. Was this a new companion the Doctor picked up? Someone from the past? Well to the Doctor she is from the past... or the future... she never knew with that alien!

"Ace!" The man grinned, "It's so wonderful to see you again!" He then picked her up and twirled her around, causing Ace to blush. This man clearly didn't know the meaning of the words 'personal' and 'space.'

After regaining her composure she stuttered out, "Who are you? Where's the Professor?"

"Ace, you know I don't like you calling me Professor, it's Doctor!" The man grinned jokingly.

"This is no time for fun and games, you... whoever you are!" Ace yelled, "Just tell me were the Doctor is."

"Ace," he replied very lightly, barely above a whisper, "It's me."

"P.. Pro... Professor," she stuttered, shocked, "It, it can't be."

"But it is," he smiled half-heartedly, clearly worried but trying to ease her into this whole 'new body' thing.

"No way," she scoffed, "Your lying, you scumbag! Tell me were the Professor is!"

"Ace," he sighed, "It is me!"

"No," she practically screamed. If they had been in a busy area there would be no doubt that they would be getting stares.

"Ace, did I ever tell you about regeneration?" He asked, "It's where every cell in my body changes, once that body is dying. I got shot in San Francisco, died and regenerated into this form."

"No," she cried, "Your a lying monster."

"Dorothy Gale Ace McShane," he grabbed her wrists gently, clearly emphasizing his point by using her full name, "If I wasn't really the Doctor then how would I remember Ice World, or the Daleks at Coal Hill School, or Davros, or the Cybermen, or the Neo-Nazis or Lady Peinforte or the Kandy Man, or the Psychic Circus, or Morgaine, or The Destroyer or Gabriel Chase, or Fenric, or the Cheetah People or... Well the list could go on! Oh my, it really puts things into retrospective when you name off some of my enemies, don't you think?" The Doctor paused for second before looking at his companion and best friend, "Oh sorry I'm rambling! So, Ace, are you okay? What do you think?" He frowned slightly.

"Point taken, you clearly must be the Doctor. No enemy could convince me of that that well. I mean sure they could list out our adventures and try to comfort me, but not with such compassion... also you have a look in your eyes that only he could have." She turned away from said eyes and stared ahead blankly and sighed before continuing, "But my Doctor can't be gone forever, he just can't!" Her eyes shone, welled up with tears. She tried to keep them in but couldn't. She just couldn't believe that the man she had grown to care about more than anyone she had ever met in her entire life just _changed_ into a completely different body with a seemingly different personality. It was like he was a whole new person and she didn't like it one bit!

"But Ace," the Doctor replied with a heart broken expression on his face, "I am your Doctor, your Professor. Sure my face and personality may be different but inside I am still the same mad old two hearted alien with a blue box, if I am to describe myself as such! I still have the same memories and a still care for the same people!" He smiled at her, a young, youthful, innocent smile her old Doctor simply couldn't pull off.

"Look," Ace said flatly as she sat down on the rocky ground, "I just don't know what to make of this." She had a lost expression on her face, she was at a crossroads, didn't know what to do.

The Doctor sat down beside her before saying, "Ace I will bring you back to Perivale if that's what you really want. Back in time for tea like I always used to say all those years ago. Finish our trip via the scenic route, eh? Hey, maybe we'll learn rule number three! Remember my list of rules?" He stiffened a laugh. "But, you could always stay with me. There are so many places we haven't seen yet." He held out his hand, "Come on, you and me. After all," he paused "Aces are rare." He tapped her on the nose affectionately with his other hand.

The pair sat in silence for what was just a few moments, but felt like an eternity. Ace was wrapped up in her thoughts '_He seems like a completely different person! But yet there has never been anyone who was cared for you nearly as much. Do you really want to give that up?' _Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Ace held out her hand to meet the Doctor's, "Okay, my Professor," she smiled.

The pair stood up hand in hand, before the Doctor gave her a quick kiss on the cheek causing her to blush._ 'Hey this Doctor is kind of cute and romantic,'_ she shook her head quickly to try and rid the thought, _'No he is the Professor not some guy. He is still the same man and I should treat him as such.'_

They made there way into the TARDIS, before Ace asked the Doctor, "So, just what happened in San Francisco?"

"Well," he began the story telling her all about Grace Holloway and the Master and everything in between, all while offering her jelly babies and a cup of tea of course. She listened eagerly, invested in his latest escapade (and wishing she had been along for the ride).

* * *

That night when she made her way into her room she spotted a note on the bed. She read it and it said:

_To Ace,_

_I hope you can accept this new me and will stay for a long time, as I could not bare to lose you. After all, you are my best friend._

_Forever yours, your Professor._

It was very short and scrawled down in very un-neat handwriting but said all that needed to be said.

Beside the note was a lone object, a playing card. An ace of hearts, to be exact. She picked it up and let out a small smile. Oh, Ace knew she would eventually fully adjust to this new Doctor. He seemed sweeter than her first, more of a best friend type than a fatherly type and a _very _big part of her liked that (even if another part of her, which was slightly bigger at the moment, would miss the old one). She also knew that she would stay around for a long time, after all, he needed someone to blow things up and although she would never admit it, she needed him.

Ace and her Professor, together, the way it should be.

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_Yes that ending sucks, I didn't really know how to end it. Also, the title kind of sucks too (there is even an official short story called 'Ace of Hearts' so I'm not even being original). Well anyway that's the end of that. I may turn this into a series writing about Eight and Ace's further adventures. I always wished those two traveled together. So, thank you for reading, be sure to leave a review (constructive criticism is fine, in fact I hope for it, just don't leave any flames), check out my others fics and maybe favourite this story, follow me and maybe even add me to your favourite authors list. Bye!_

_~BrainySpecsSparrow_


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